HollyKing's Journal

I've had some great responses from you all when I've asked for a bit of cooking help. Thank you everyone for them all. Be assured that I will get around to trying them all and will let you know how it all turns out.

Since the apple sauce was a great success I want to knock off another item from my list of Things to Cook. Namely candy apples and by that I mean the apples with a cinnamon hard candy shell. I love these things and want to make my own. I would also like to make my own hard candy.

Does anyone have some favorite books or resources about making candy apples or hard candy? Thanks!

Last night I made a promise to bake something every week. An Iron Baker project, like Iron Epistle except that I won’t be asking for requests yet. Eventually I think I would like to have some requests to stretch my skills and recipes.

What I would like right now are recommendations on basic books on baking. I don’t have space for the KitchenAid mixer I want so I’m going to focus on recipes that I can mix and knead by hand. Do you have any books you would recommend? I have ordered Alton Brown’s I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking today. What other books, or other media, would you bakers recommend?

Note to self: Find an icon for baking.

Our TV is dying, so I need to start looking for a replacement. The problem is I’m so out of touch with current technology I don’t know what we should get for a replacement. I do know that I would like a flat screen 16:9 TV but beyond what else should I look for?

• Plasma or LCD?
• 720p, 1080i, 1080p?
• Sony, Samsung, Pioneer, Toshiba, others?

At first it will need to handle s-video and component inputs as I won’t be able to replace the Tivo, although it’s been acting up too, or cable box.

I need to find a doctor. I hate finding a new doctor. Does anyone have suggestions for a doctor in the Bellevue area who accepts Cigna insurance?

I’m reading Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and I’ve come across a reference to a story that I hope someone can help me identify. The passage is:

“Interesting choice!” Elinor had commented when she lent Meggie a bag for the books, an old-fashioned one made of dark leather that you could sling over your shoulder. “These stories about the ill-made knight and people with hairy feet going on a long journey to dark places. Have you read them both?”

I am sure that “people with hairy feet” refers to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. I can’t think of a story that might be about an “ill-made knight.” Any ideas?

cheesentoast's been staying in our living room for far too long. We all put in some effort to rearrange the apartment and soon what was the office will become her bedroom. We don't have enough room for another desk so I've been looking for armchairs where I can sit comfortably and work on my laptop for hours at a stretch.

I'm asking for some suggestions for where to shop for chairs. I've searched a few places online but you can't tell enough about a chair from a webpage. I've really liked Underhill's in the past but according to their page they don't have anything close to what I want. Where would you go look for a good chair in the Seattle area?

Features I would like are:

• A deeper than normal seat
• Deep cusions
• Wide seat
• Probably others that I'm forgetting right now

Any ideas?